Ikkis, the period war-drama starring Agastya Nanda in the lead, is now gearing for its OTT premiere on Prime Video. The film, which received many positive reviews, was also met with criticism from a certain section of audience which found the film ‘too soft’ in its depiction of Pakistan. The makers were also compelled to put a disclaimer in the closing credits, stating that the ‘humane behaviour’ of one of the main characters, who is Pakistani, is an exception. During a recent interview, filmmaker Sriram Raghavan opened up on the subject, stating that he wasn’t happy with the disclaimer.
Speaking to The Wire, the Ikkis director said about his producer Dinesh Vijan, “He is a superb guy — he let me make this film and really supported me. But the disclaimer was not something I was personally happy with.”
Also recalling a somewhat similar instance when Badlapur producers inserted the ‘Jee Karda’ song at the end, Sriram added, “I don’t know if people have seen my film Badlapur. At the end, there is a music video which completely negates what the film is building towards. It disrupts the mood by inserting that. It was at the producers' insistence. Ikkis is also with the same producer.”
Refusing to comment further on the issue, the filmmaker noted, “A lot of people asked me about the disclaimer at the end and I just decided not to talk about it. It is simply because there are some givens for me from A, B, C."
In Ikkis, right after the closing visual of the film, a disclaimer appears on screen saying, “The humane behaviour of Pakistani Brigadier K. M. Sisar is only an exceptional incident. Otherwise, our neighbouring country is not trustworthy at all. Pakistan’s armies, both during war and in times of peace, have behaved very cruelly and inhumanely with our soldiers and citizens. In torturing them, they have repeatedly and openly violated the Geneva Convention. Considering the terrorist activities sponsored by Pakistan, as responsible citizens, we must always remain alert and prepared. Jai Hind.”
The Agastya Nanda starrer, which was also the swansong of legendary yesteryear actor Dharmendra, did not perform well at the box office. According to industry tracker Sacnilk, the film grossed Rs 41.65 at the box office worldwide.